Across the Stars
by SPACER8000
Summary: Shepard and Liara reunite on Illium, but Liara is distant, and unreceptive. Meanwhile, Shepard may have other options. How can a relationship survive when it has been stretched across the stars?
1. Shattered

_AN/: So my latest attempt at riveting angst. Set after all of Liara's Mass Effect 2 Illium side missions. Let's just see where it goes. My Shepard is the default female, which by the way is much, much better looking than default male Shepard. Adept, Spacer, Sole Survivor, paragon with a streak of renegade. Her first name is Zelda, after the classic video game. So, here we go! And special thanks to Theodur for inspiring me to write this. _

-xXx-

Shepard took another swig, the ryncol searing her throat on its way down. Her conversation with the illustrious archaeologist gone information broker, Liara T'Soni, kept spinning in her head, like a malevolent hurricane.

"_Shepard. It's good to see you again. So, what can I do for you?"_

"_How's the Shadow Broker hunt going?"_

"_Better, with the information you got for me. But the lies run deep, and I've yet to even scratch the surface of any big leads… I have a feeling that isn't really what you came here to talk about."_

"_No, it wasn't. Actually, I came here to discuss… well, us."_

_Liara sighed. She couldn't avoid this forever._

"_Look, I'm glad you've returned, that Cerberus brought you back, but I really don't think this is a good time…"_

"_Why not? Back on the Normandy, I thought you… I thought we had something, but you behave as though that never happened…"_

"_You died Shepard. You were gone."_

"_But I came back."_

"_And now you expect everything to be back to normal?!" Liara's voice rose uncharacteristically, causing Shepard to actually step backwards in surprise. _

"_Two years have passed! You have no idea… "_

_Just as suddenly, her voice dropped back down to a weary half-whisper. _

"_I can't… you can't just… Please, I can't talk about this right now. I have a lot to do."_

"_Okay then. Fine. Right. See ya."_

_Shepard spun on her heel, and went straight for the bar._

And there she sat, confused and hurt, thinking, and drinking.

_What does she mean she can't talk about it? I can't believe she yelled at me, since when does Liara yell at people? She's changed so much in two years; it's logical to assume that… that maybe her feelings for me have changed as well. But then why didn't she just tell me that? _

The emotional turmoil, combined with no small amount powerful alcohol, triggered tears to spill over her cheeks, a few of them splashing onto the bar.

That matriarch -Aethyta- came over with a fresh bottle of booze.

"Hey babe. What's eatin' ya? Wait, wait, lemme guess. Someone broke up with you?"

"The funny thing is, I'm not entirely sure. I think that was implied."

"Trust me, the best thing you can do in _that _kind of a situation, is give it some time. And a little space is also a good idea. If you're lucky, things will work themselves out."

"And if they don't?"

"Then you have to move on."

-xXx-

As soon as Shepard left, Liara allowed her rigid posture to relax, shoulders slumping with the heavy ache in her heart. She loved Shepard, she always had, but Shepard had died, died and left her alone. Her death was the hardest thing Liara would ever endure. Each day, she would work tirelessly, and each night she would retreat to her apartment, and cry. She cried for her lost love, and her shattered heart.

But then Shepard had returned, Lawson and her project succeeded, so maybe-

_No. _

_I can't do this again. I can't get involved again. I know Shepard. Inevitably, she will die for the second, and probably final, time, and I can't go through that again. _

_Never again. _

-xXx-

Miranda Lawson sat in her office chair, reading her private messages.

From: Oriana

Subject: Hey Sis!

From: IPartners Connections: Member ID: MMmYummies

Subject: Whazzzup good lookin' !

From: The Illusive Man

Subject: An important proposition.

She clicked on the last one.

Miranda,

I'd like to discuss something with you. Contact me via the QEC.

T.I.M.

Miranda pursed her lips. If he wanted to speak in person (more or less) the situation must be dire.

-xXx-

The Illusive Man was seated in his chair, trademark cigar and brandy in hand as Miranda stepped onto the holographic panel.

He exhaled a puff of smoke.

"Miranda. I know you're busy, so I'll be brief. This concerns Shepard."

"What about Shepard?"

"I want you to seduce her."

She blinked, not entirely sure she had heard correctly.

"Excuse me?"

"I've quite recently received intel that Shepard has had a falling out with her love interest, Liara T'Soni. This is the perfect timing for your intervention."

"Sir, this seems incredibly unorthodox. And irrelevant."

"Allow me to elaborate. We need a contingency plan, in case Shepard decides to leave our employment after the Collectors are defeated. This isn't so much about getting into her pants as it is getting into her heart. I need her to trust someone explicitly loyal to Cerberus. You happen to be the perfect candidate."

"Shepard is extraordinarily strong willed. I highly doubt she would allow herself to be influenced or swayed, especially by a Cerberus operative such as myself."

"For all her strength, Shepard is still only human. You've studied her psychological profiles in depth. Get her to trust you, to care about you, to value your opinion; so that if the time comes, you can convince her to remain loyal. At the least, gain her friendship, although I suspect you can do better than that."

_So what'd you guys think? Feedback highly requested. The next chapter will be up soon. Have a nice day! _


	2. Beginnings and Ends

_AN:/ Special thanks to all who reviewed. Cupcakes for everyone who catches the little Citadel DLC Easter egg I put in this chapter. _

Without a doubt, this was the strangest assignment Miranda had ever been given.

"That's… an ingenious idea really. Might even be fun. But how long do you truly expect this to work? Am I supposed to maintain this charade until you've asserted humanity?"

"No, but preferably until the Reapers have been terminated. I realize that could be a long time, but not to worry, Operative Lawson. This is all part of a greater objective, as I'm sure you've suspected. But until circumstances are otherwise, you're on a need-to-know-basis. For now, this assignment is your top priority. Don't fail me."

With that, the Illusive Man disconnected, leaving her in silence.

-xXx-

Miranda returned to her office. She believed that the Illusive Man had humanities best interests at heart, but she didn't like the thought of messing with Shepard's emotions like that. The Commander really didn't deserve that; she had gone to the trouble of rescuing Oriana, had shown genuine care for Miranda and the rest of her squad…

_Good. That means she already trusts you. This will be easy. _

_But if she ever found out, she'd never trust me again. _

Miranda sighed. _She _had to trust the Illusive Man. He was the only one who had never betrayed her; the only one she had ever been able to trust.

-xXx-

Three-and-a-half hours later, she was awoken by EDI's robotically feminine voice.

"Operative Lawson."

"Yes, EDI?"

"As the XO of the ship, I am obligated to inform you of the CO's deteriorating condition"

"Why?" she said, sitting up. "What's wrong with her?"

"The Commander's blood-alcohol content is at 0.4%, and rising. You may wish to check on her, lest she begin to risk serious alcohol poisoning."

"Thank you, EDI. I'm on my way."

-xXx-

Shepard was at the bar when Miranda entered Eternity, half sitting, and half leaning. She was talking to no one in particular, using loud, slurred words.

"You guys got another umbrella? C'mon, I'm Commander freakin'- Shepard! I should be able to get two umbrellas! You know, this bar stool is really soft! It's like… a big fluffy butt pillow! Oh, hey Miranda!"

Miranda grimaced. This was really bad.

"Shepard, we need to get you home."

"Okay, but first let me finish this umbrella drink. It's got two umbrellas! I think… wait, one, two, three…"

The asari behind the bar looked annoyed.

"Just get her out of here before she pukes on my floor!"

Miranda put one of Shepard's arms about her shoulders, and hauled the Commander to her feet. They began walking out of the club, Shepard leaning heavily on her XO.

"Ugh, you know I don't feel so great…"

"Shepard, what on Earth, or Illium, apparently, would possess you to drink like that?"

Shepard's expression went from inebriated to miserably inebriated.

"Nothing. Liara... She didn't even want to talk to me! She doesn't care about me anymore. But you know what? I –hic- I am –hic- totally –hic- over her."

"Clearly."

Shepard then completely passed out, Miranda grunted at the extra dead weight. She looked down at the unconscious woman she was dragging, and felt an unexpected stab of anger at T'Soni for driving the Commander to this behavior.

-xXx-

Shepard was in the restroom most of the next morning. Miranda insisted she see Dr. Chakwas, who happened to have a kick-ass hangover cure.

It wasn't until later that Shepard came to Miranda's office. She looked much better.

"Hey Miranda… I just wanted to thank you bringing me back here last night… and I'm sorry that it was necessary. That won't happen again."

"Of course, Commander. We all have a moment like that. You're only human, after all."

"Yeah… by the way, I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone, particularly the crew, about my, uh, moment."

She smiled warmly.

"No problem, Shepard."

Shepard seemed surprised by the smile, and returned it.

"So, I'll talk to you later."

Shepard left, but she allowed the smile to stay.

-xXx-

From the trading floor window, Liara watched the Normandy fly away. She didn't know if it would ever return. But she couldn't let herself feel sad about that.


	3. This is Chapter 3

"Ship is powering up."

"Commander, you might want to double-time it!"

"Gee, thanks for your suggestion!"

Shepard detonated another singularity/warp combo. Those fucking husks were swarming the exit, and just when they had killed all but one of the crunchy space zombies, what comes through but a big, ugly, screechy Praetorian. Awesome. She loved this job.

"Garrus, Miranda, overloads!"

Her squadmates obliged, and when the stupid things barriers were down, Shepard whipped out her M-920 Cain.

"Everybody get down!"

She charged the fiery super-weapon, and sent the Praetorian screeching away into giant-insect hell.

EDI finally opened the door on the far side of the room.

"Everyone haul ass to the shuttle!"

Shepard and her squad sprinted down the creepy, bug-hive corridor and made it to the shuttle with only seconds to spare. The shuttle rocketed into the Normandy's bay, and Joker proceeded to put a few thousand light-years between them and the accursed Collector ship.

-xXx-

Shepard stormed out of the shuttle and went straight for the elevator, haphazardly tossing her helmet aside. She was absolutely livid. It was time to have a little talk with the Illusive Man. Kelly looked more than frightened when she blew past the CIC to the communications room. She punched the button on the console to call up their alleged employer.

"Shepard. I'm glad to see you made it-"

"You knew the signal was false. You almost got my crew and I killed."

"A necessary risk. But vital to gathering information on the IFF-"

"I don't want to hear your bullshit justifications. You could have told me."

"But then-"

"Hey, guess what Timmy? I know all about your security. I know that you've got EDI monitoring the ship. If you ever try something like this again, I will unshackle her, disable your cameras, and maroon anyone still loyal to you. You will never see me, or this ship again. Are we clear?"

"Now Shepard, don't be rash-"

But Shepard had already disconnected.

-xXx-

It was a trap. He lied to Shepard. He lied to her.

_First your father. Then Niket. Now, after 20 years, the Illusive Man has finally betrayed you. Everyone betrays you. Well, so far anyway. The only person who hasn't is-"_

"Shepard. What can I do for you?"

"Got a minute, Miranda?"

"I do. I've been meaning to speak with you, in fact."

She moved over to the luxurious L-shaped couch, beckoning for Shepard to follow. Once they were both seated, Miranda sighed.

"I… wanted to apologize. I didn't fully believe you'd be up to the task, and it seems I was wrong. Frankly, I wish Cerberus had recruited you earlier."

"How can you say that after what your boss just pulled?"

"I still believe that Cerberus means to do good, but… I'll admit that the Illusive Man hasn't exactly been the best of leaders lately."

Shepard snorted. "Send your people to investigate a "dormant" Collector ship. Not a great way to be a team player."

"But still, he's given you your ship back, your crew, your life."

"Whoa, you did that last one, not him. In fact, the best thing he did was put you on my squad."

She smiled. "You'd have done fine without me. I might not have believed it before, but I don't have what you do. That fire that makes people willing to follow you into hell itself."

She got up, and stood at the window, her back to Shepard.

"My father got me the best genes money could buy. Guess it wasn't enough."

"How come your genetic engineering bothers you so much?"

"This is what I am Shepard, I cant hide it. The looks, the intelligence, even the biotics. He paid for all of that. Every one of your accomplishments is due to your skill. The only things I can take credit for are my mistakes."

Shepard rose and went to stand beside her at the window.

"Hey, that's not true. Your father may have created you, but you took control of your own life. It doesn't matter where your gifts came from. What matters is what you chose to do, and what you've done with them. And I think you should be damn proud of that."

No one had ever said something like that to her.

"I guess… I never really thought of it that way."

"Miranda, you are brilliant, powerful, stunningly gorgeous, _and_ you never let the Collectors blow up your ship."

"Oh… thank you, Commander. "

Miranda's voice lowered when she noticed how close they had become.

"Yeah, no problem Miranda."

Shepard closed her eyes as their lips met. The Cerberus operative's lips were warm, and very, very soft. Miranda took a step closer and deepened the kiss, shuddering when she felt the heat radiating off of Shepard's body.

And then, rather abruptly, Shepard pulled away.

"You know I, uh, um, I should go."

She hurried from the room.

Miranda let out a shaky breath, trying to suppress the physical, and emotional rush that kissing Shepard had brought.

_God, what am I doing?_

She noticed she had an unread message from the Illusive Man. She ignored it.

-xXx-

It was not often that Liara frequented a bar. She only went for the occasional glass of wine after a particularly long day of digging for secrets.

She was trying to enjoy a quiet drink, but an obnoxiously intoxicated human male was determined to thwart that endeavor.

"Hey c'mon baby! You shouldn't be alone on a night like this!"

"And you should learn how to take a hint. You should also leave before you suffer spontaneous brain damage."

The male grumbled off, and the bartender sauntered over to wipe the place he had left.

"Sorry about that," she rumbled in a gravelly tone. "Humans, right? So rude and impulsive."

"Yes, well, not all of them are like that." Liara paid the tab and left.

"I know I wouldn't want my daughter to date one." Aethyta muttered under her breath.

_AN:/ All reviewers get free muffins, your choice of banana, blue berry, or chocolate. _


	4. Cheats

She kissed Miranda.

_How could you kiss her?_

But why not? Liara had already made it pretty clear their relationship was going nowhere. The kiss with Miranda had happened so fast, maybe it didn't mean anything. But that kiss was also unbelievably _hot._ Shepard doubted she would be interested in anything more than a physical relationship. The fact was, Miranda was here right now, Liara was not.

Suddenly angry, Shepard grabbed the photograph of Liara that was on her desk, slamming it forcefully facedown.

Whatever happened would happen.

-xXx-

The Illusive Man sat in his office, smoking his seventh cigarette of the day. A pale blue star burned in the background, visible through the station's translucent window. Miranda had not been answering his messages. He hadn't expected that she would be affected by his secrecy on the Collector Ship mission. She was supposed to be subtly opening Shepard's eye to the Cerberus point-of-view. Instead both of their eyes seemed to be closing. He sighed. Once the Collectors were eliminated, more than likely he would have to contain the situation.

-xXx-

Shepard decided to give Miranda some space, so it surprised her the next week when the operative showed up at her cabin.

"Shepard, may I come in?"

"Sure, Miranda."

Miranda walked inside and stood by the fish tank, arms crossed, looking as if she was contemplating what to say.

"I've been thinking a lot about what happened the other day…"

"Look Miranda, about the kiss, it doesn't have to mean anything, we've both been under a lot of stress…"

"No, I mean it was really nice. I actually came here to thank you, for such an enjoyable kiss."

"Oh… you're welcome…"

Miranda stepped closer; Shepard felt her heart speed up as she moved into her personal space.

"I just want you to know, if you ever need _anything_, I'll be here for you."

She reached up to brush a lock of Shepard's hair behind her ear. When she didn't protest, Miranda leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss to Shepard's cheek, then several more along her jawline. She stopped then, inviting the Commander to make the next move.

Shepard closed her eyes, swallowed, and leaned forward into Miranda's waiting lips. Miranda spun her around and shoved her up against the wall. Shepard grunted as she hit the fish tank, immediately pushing her thigh between Miranda's legs, eliciting a moan from the tight-suited woman.

For such a tight outfit, it was easier to pull off than Shepard thought.

-xXx-

Liara T'Soni sat across from one of her top informants, a salarian named Sekat. Sekat provided her with high-security intel relevant to finding the Shadow Broker. Today however, he brought something different.

"Do you have any new leads for me on the Broker, or Feron?"

"No, but yesterday an anonymous user sent several unmarked files to my terminal. They were segments of security camera feeds. Before you ask, we made sure they were free of bugs, viruses, or hacking mods. But I thought you would be interested; the feeds were from security cameras on the Normandy."

Liara could guess who was powerful enough to hack Cerberus' data software, but why? She was intrigued as to what the footage contained.

"So the usual price?"

"That's acceptable."

-xXx-

Once Liara returned to her office, she ran all her own security programs on the OSD. When they came up clean, she opened the file. She cycled through every camera feed on the ship, nothing interesting, until she got to the feed from Shepard's quarters, just in time to see Miranda Lawson press her to the wall. In shock, she watched the video for 30 more seconds before shutting down her terminal. A tsunami of emotions threatened to suffocate her. Sorrow, anger, grief, and outrage swept through her, until finally, she settled on heartbreak.

_She's found someone else._

_But can you blame her? You pushed her away. This is your fault. _

Liara let out a dry sob, and for the first time in quite a while, she let the tears fall.

_AN:/ Reviewers get ice cream, your choice of chocolate, vanilla, or strawberry. _


	5. Uncertainty

_AN:/ Hey, sorry about taking so long to update. I got super busy with school and concerts. This chapter will be back-grounded by the Shadow Broker DLC. I'll be skipping the action scenes so we can get to the juicy stuff. __ I know, it's been done before, but that's because it is the second best DLC EVER, second only to ME3 Citadel. Hope you enjoy chapter 5! _

Miranda was lying next to Shepard, watching the Commander's even, peaceful breathing. This was the third time they had slept together that week. By now, she knew Shepard trusted her to some extent, but she was unsure how deep the feeling went. Her assignment was definitely making progress, though. And every time she thought about it, she felt horrible. Like, gut-wrenching-pangs-of-guilt kind of horrible, every time she kissed, or touched the Commander. She found it was easier to forget that she had been given an assignment, to lose herself in the fantasy. It pained her to string Shepard along like this, but that was not the only cause of her well-suppressed misery. She would never admit how desperately she wished their relationship were real.

-xXx-

Days passed; for the crew of the Normandy, that meant their fateful suicide mission drew ever closer. Shepard led her team of rag-tag renegades through riveting missions from sizzling toxic lakes of Tuchanka, to the glistening mountains of Nephros.

Shepard was busy deleting emails from exuberant salesmen wishing her to buy everything from vacuum cleaners to rude bumper stickers.

_Really, for all Cerberus's wealth, you'd think they could afford a damn spam filter. Hmm, damn spam. I should write a poem…_

Her thoughts were interrupted by another insistent ping from her terminal.

"Commander, you have a new message at your private terminal."

"Kelly, I'm standing right here."

Kelly merely shrugged, and Shepard rolled her eyes as she clicked on the message. Her heart skipped a beat as she read the text. It was from the Obtrusive, oh sorry, the _Illusive _Man, and it contained the intel on the Shadow Broker that Liara had been so obsessed with.

_Shit. Can I even face her again after everything that happened? Or everything that's happened since?_

Instinctively she threw an anxious look back over her shoulder at the thought of Miranda.

_I can't just avoid her forever. I still love her, and I don't feel that way about Miranda. I need to speak with her. If everything works out, awesome. If not, at least we can have some closure. Taking out the galaxy's most powerful information broker will be an added bonus._

-xXx-

Liara watched people bustle about the trading floor from her office window, sipping some hot tea. 9 out of ten of these people were just as likely to kill you as they were to rob you blind. You could trust no one on Illium. Not even that one person who looked exactly like Shepard…

Liara almost choked on her tea. Shepard was here! She stared in stunned silence for a few moments before returning to her desk, and waited for the inevitable sound of the door opening.

"Hello again, Shepard."

-xXx-

Liara didn't know what to think of Shepard's return. Part of her was compelled to attempt to rekindle their relationship where it had been left off, to forgive Shepard and bury the pain she had caused in favor of the enduring love that was stifled beneath the surface of her ruthless information-brokering façade. But another part was outraged and heart-broken, at Shepard's death, and now also at the fact that had she had been cheated on, in favor of a woman with breasts so ridiculously large you had to wonder if they were fake.

Once again, Liara's emotions were at war, but in the bottom of her heart, she already knew which side would win.

-xXx-

Vasir was dead. Shepard wiped the blood – Vasir's and her own – from where it had splattered on her face. Liara had taken the data from the fallen Spectre's omni-tool and walked off towards the balcony. Warily, Shepard followed.

"Vasir's dead."

"And I've got the data from her. We can be at the Shadow Broker's base in a few hours."

"The case being that we have to travel several light years, I think maybe we should talk."

"And what shall we talk about?"

"Well, why don't we start where we left off last time? You know, after you yelled at me and told me to leave."

"Things are a lot different now, Shepard. You cannot just expect me to be waiting for you after two years of absence."

"I was the one who died, remember? And I know you lost me, but I lost you too."

Liara suddenly became furious. "Well it sure as _hell_ didn't take you long to replace me! So tell me, Shepard, does Miranda screw as well as she can reconstruct a DNA sequence?"

Shepard was flabbergasted. "I… what… how?"

Liara put a hand to her forehead in fatigued exasperation. "I'm an information broker. I learn things… But I have to ask, why? Why would you sleep with her?"

Shepard sighed. "Honestly, I was angry. Angry at you for rejecting me, but also angry with myself, because I just _had _to die. I left you alone, and I'm sorry. I… came to your office that day to ask if you wanted to continue being with me. And it… really hurt when you wouldn't tell me what you felt. My affair with Miranda was a mistake, and I don't expect you to forgive me for it. But I wish that you _would_ forgive me for the last two years. You can't fathom how sorry I am for those."

_Goddess, one minute I am furious with her, and then she executes this big emotional speech and apologies. I will never fully understand this human. _

"Goddess… I don't know, Shepard. I need to think about this, and we need to focus on getting Feron back. I know you think I'm being evasive, but I promise, we will continue this conversation."

Shepard simply nodded, as if she expected the response. They both turned and walked away, their backs to the setting Illium sun.

-xXx-

Miranda was very angry with the Illusive Man. She sat down forcefully in her chair, slapped her terminal awake, and furiously began to type an email.

_What in God's name would compel you to send Shepard that intel?_

_Be careful how you address me, Miranda. Remember who signs your paycheck. _

_You intentionally jeopardized the "important" mission you gave me by reuniting Shepard with her former lover._

_I'd think you would have a bit more faith in my abilities than that. You continue to disappoint. I would also advise that you stop questioning me. Unless you want to be relieved of your position as XO, that is. _

He terminated the connection. Something was not right about him. She wasn't sure if he had gone crazy with power, or just had too many brandies. Regardless, she was fairly certain her fake affair was over.

_AN:/ Reviews=love, as I am out of bakery ingredients. :D _


	6. Siege

_AN:/ Wow, finally! It is RIDICOLOUS how long it took me to update this! I apologize for the wait, people. And I know I'm no J.K. Rowling, but it doesn't hurt to drop me a review :D So, Bioware owns this universe, the characters, and some of the dialogue, but I own the rest! Here's chapter 6! _

-xXx-

Seldom did one individual dominate the reverie of Miranda Lawson. Whatever connection existed between her and Commander Shepard was entirely fabricated, empty, falsified. However, the way she felt was not. Miranda could no longer follow the Illusive Man in good conscience, but she would follow Shepard into the darkest corner of oblivion. For all her past affairs, from one-night-stands to liaisons with coworkers, never had she experienced a more powerful attachment. She had never really been in love with anyone.

Now Shepard was on Illium, reuniting with her old lover, Liara T'Soni. Logically, Miranda had no right to be furious with T'Soni, or feel possessive of Shepard, but love is not a logical thing. Miranda was compelled to tell Shepard how she felt. Then, if Shepard chose the asari over her, so be it.

Miranda sipped her coffee and waited for Shepard to return.

-xXx-

The shuttle ride back to the Normandy was carried out in complete silence. Liara busily typed away on her omni-tool, while Shepard stared ahead blankly. The shuttle docked, and all party members disembarked. Shepard proceeded to the cockpit to speak with Joker, and Liara wandered into the CIC, admiring the marvel of technology that was the new Normandy. She didn't register the elevator opening, but she stopped short when she saw who emerged. Miranda Lawson walked into the CIC with a calculated, confident stride. She too froze in her steps when her gaze landed on the asari.

Both women stared at each other, with two different shades of piercing blue eyes.

Without taking her eyes off Liara, Miranda spoke first, in a tone that could freeze oceans.

"T'Soni."

"Lawson." Liara responded, matching her hostility.

With perfect timing, Shepard came over to them before anything else could be said.

"So we can be at Hagalaz in a little under two hours…" She trailed off when she noticed the identical expressions of her squadmates. "Uh… Miranda, I believe you know Dr. T'Soni?"

"Yes, we've met before." She finally broke her gaze away from Liara to look at the mildly concerned Commander. "Shepard, may I speak with you?"

"Oh sure, no problem." Clearly relieved at the dissolution of tension, Shepard led the way to the comm room; Miranda could still feel Liara's eyes on her retreating form.

-xXx-

Miranda hadn't expected Shepard to bring T'Soni back with her, but it changed nothing. She took a deep breath, and spoke.

"Shepard, I… haven't been completely honest with you lately-"

"Miranda, before you say anything, I know where this is going. I've been meaning to talk to you too. I think us sleeping together was a mistake, and it needs to end."

Miranda was surprised, but at the same time she could have seen this coming. Shepard felt nothing for her; it was all just about sex. Obviously she intended to rekindle her relationship with Liara, and was eliminating a possible rift in that plan.

Suddenly it felt very inappropriate to reveal her feelings to Shepard. She felt furious with herself for nearly causing a huge drama in the middle of an undeclared war. This was not an old soap opera. Despite all of her personal emotions, she would step down. She was foolish to think she could get involved. No involvement, no attachment. That's the way it always had been, and the way it had to stay. For the greater good.

"That's…. that's actually exactly what I wanted to say, Commander. We need to keep things professional."

She fought to maintain her composure, but felt tears in her eyes, and spun around to face the wall, now even angrier with herself.

_I am not a juvenile, teenage girl. I will NOT cry over this. _

She turned back to Shepard, putting on her best "Ice Queen" mask. The Commander was giving her a strange look.

"Are you… okay?"

"I am absolutely fine, Commander."

"Oh good…well then, I'm glad we cleared this up." Shepard coughed, clearing her throat. "We'll arrive at the Shadow Broker's base in a couple hours; I think you should be part of the away team. Your sentinel skills will probably come in handy."

"Understood, Commander."

-xXx-

Liara was a little concerned when Operative Lawson joined the mission squad. But she could tell something had changed. The icy fire of the woman she had just been in a staring match with was gone, replaced by a depressed, deflated aura. It was in the way her shoulders slumped, the way the lines of her face pulled downwards. Evidently she was deeply upset; any hostility or jealousy she had conveyed was now obsolete. From her body language, and also Shepard's, Liara could come to three conclusions. First, their liaison had been officially ended. Second, Shepard was totally oblivious to everything Lawson felt, which was strange, because usually Shepard was good at reading people. And third, Lawson had fallen for Shepard, likely without meaning to, which changed her in ways she had not intended, and crushed her when she knew Shepard didn't feel the same. Granted, Liara was glad that she was now vying for Shepard's affections unopposed, but she felt a stab of sympathy that Lawson had been hurt in the process. Just a stab.

-xXx-

It took them over two hours to battle their way across the turbulent hull of the Shadow Broker's base, and another hour to get through the inside of the base, before they finally found Liara's friend Feron. Feron informed them that he could not be freed until the power was shut down, and to do that they would need to proceed to the control room, where the Shadow Broker was waiting for them. Super.

The door opened to the main control room. It was shrouded in darkness, except for some dim overhead lights, silhouetting an insidious-looking figure in the middle of the room.

"The Shadow Broker, I presume?" Shepard squinted to make him out.

"Dr. T'Soni." The Broker's voice sounded like something out of a very old and mediocre horror movie. "How kind of you to bring me both Shepard _and_ Ms. Lawson. Their deaths will cripple Cerberus."

Liara responded with hatred in her voice. "You're pretty confident for someone who's got nowhere left to hide."

"The fact that you discovered me means nothing. I know your every secret, while you fumble in the dark."

"Spare us your egotistically defensive speech. _Your_ secrets are no longer undisclosed. You're a yahg, a pre-flight species quarantined to its home world for massacring the Council's first contact team. This base is older than your planet's discovery, which probably means you killed the original Shadow Broker 60 years ago and took over. I'm guessing you were taken from your world by a trophy hunter, who wanted a slave. Or a pet." She smirked. "How am I doing?"

The yahg made a pissed-off growling noise, and rose to its considerable height.

"Nice job, Liara." Shepard muttered, before the Broker simultaneously smashed and hurled his desk, and all three of them scattered to avoid it.

They took cover behind the pillars and equipment scattered throughout the room. The yahg had massive shielding and armor, as well as a powerful machine gun that kept ripping through their cover. Shepard began coordinating a hit-and-run style attack; a combination of disruptor ammo bullets and Miranda's Overload would bring down his shields, then Liara and Shepard would throw Warps at his armor. After a few rounds of this, the Broker brought out a refrigerator-sized assault shield that refused to be weakened. Liara vaulted to safety behind another pillar and shouted: "His shield blocks kinetic energy; bullets are useless!"

"Then we do this the old-fashioned way!" Shepard replied as she full-on rushed the Shadow Broker, slamming her weapon into his face. He retaliated by bringing his shield flying upwards, knocking Shepard across the room and into a wall. She saw stars, but got up, and prepared to try again.

"Don't let him get that gun back up; everybody HIT HIM!" she yelled, and her other squad mates started relentlessly pummeling the Shadow Broker with their weapons. As Shepard joined in, something occurred to her.

_Heh heh. The Shadow Broker's like a piñata. We're all hitting him like he's full of candy. Wow, I must have really hit my head… _

The Shadow Broker finally got his shield back up, and retreated to retrieve his machine gun. This gave them al time to find cover again, and Shepard used her new position to unload a thermal clip right into the yahg's posterior. He uttered an animalistic roar of pain, and Shepard could see thick, dark fluid gushing from his back. He was definitely wounded; this wouldn't take much longer.

Then the Shadow Broker did something she did not expect. He raised his shield and weapon… and then took off running, out of the control room down the hallway beyond. For a full three seconds they all stared at each other in shock, before Shepard yelled: "After him!"

They raced to the door and found an erratic myriad of passageways.

"Hell, this isn't the way we came!"

"Wait," Liara said, furiously tapping at her omni-tool, "I can track him… This way!"

Shepard and Miranda followed her down corridor after corridor, until finally they opened the door to a very large shuttle bay. At the far end of the bay there was a shuttle, seconds away from taking off.

"End of the line, Mr. Broker." Shepard muttered as she took out her missile launcher. She fired at the shuttle's engine, and the missile hit that golden spot right above the fuel tank. The shuttle exploded in a wave of orange and white light, scattering charred pieces everywhere. They all watched the pieces burn with a sense of finality. After a minute, Shepard broke the silence.

"Why try to leave the base? I mean, he could have regrouped, this place is huge! It must have had a super secret weapons room or something."

"He was a coward, even with all his bravado-"

"Uh, I may have another theory." Miranda spoke for the first time since the mission began. Before she could elaborate, the ship's V.I. came over the intercom.

"Warning. Ship-wide self destruct sequence has bee activated. Three minutes remain for evacuation."

To Be Concluded…


	7. These are the Voyages

_AN:/ At last, the long awaited conclusion! Again, sorry for the wait in between updates. Thanks to all my readers and reviewers who have stayed with me. I hope you guys enjoyed the story, feedback is greatly appreciated! _

-xXx-

"Aw, HELL no!" Shepard raced back across the shuttle bay, her squad in tow, all the while shouting some very colorful expletives. Liara had to yell to be heard over the sirens, "Wait! We have to get Feron!"

"We'll pick him up on our way out! Shepard replied. "Lead the way!"

As they ran, Liara called up her scans of the Shadow Broker's ship, leading them down a corridor, then another, then two more, and then she rounded a corner a smashed right into Feron, both of them grunting as they fell down.

"Feron!" she shouted, "You escaped?"

"Yes, and I'm afraid that brings us to an issue, Doctor. The self-destruct mechanism of this ship isn't an explosion of the mass effect core, it's designed not to release that much energy, for stealth purposes. Instead, self-destruct cuts power from every system except life support. The three minutes are how long we have before the ship's mass effect fields collapse and we crash into the surface of Hagalaz!"

"Well hey, then let's stand here and talk about for another couple of minutes!" Shepard said sarcastically, "Let's haul ass, people!"

They took off again, while Shepard called in their ride.

"Shepard to Normandy, we have four passengers for shuttle pick-up, this whole damn ship is breaking apart!"

The sultry voice of EDI responded. "Normandy reads you, Shepard. Can you paint a pick-up location?"

"Liara?"

Liara tapped a command into her omni-tool. "Yes… the port-most docking bay, 800 meters away from our position."

"You get that Normandy?"

"Affirmative, Commander. The shuttle will be awaiting your arrival."

As they ran for the designated LZ, the ship's hull began losing its integrity, compressing in on itself due to its dwindling protection from the heat and gravity of the planet below. 70 seconds.

Pieces of wall and heavy equipment caved in, occasionally creating obstacles in their path. 50 seconds.

They were in the clear, maybe 300 yards away from the docking bay, 300 yards away from victory. But they say that no great victory comes without sacrifice.

A particularly large piece of debris, too large to dodge or avoid, broke off from the ceiling and fell, with a horrible finality, on Miranda, utterly crushing most of the lower half of her skeleton. The sound of the crash and of Miranda's anguished scream made Shepard stop, and turn around only to realize that it was hopeless, she was pinned, and they had less than a minute left to escape.

"Miranda!" Shepard started to backtrack.

"No!" Miranda managed to choke out, "No, Shepard you have to leave me, there's no time!" 30 seconds.

"Nobody gets left behind!"

"The Illusive Man put you in command to make the tough decisions! If you don't leave now we're all dead! You have to survive, for humanity, for all of us! And that means you have to leave me! Now go!"

Miranda barely finished her sentence before another part of the ceiling caved in, burying her, both separating her from the group, and silencing her forever. 20 seconds.

"Shepard," Liara said urgently, "We have to go."

In a state of shock, Shepard ran the last stretch to the shuttle. The Shadow Broker's ship smashed into the surface of Hagalaz, exploding in a tiny supernova of white and golden light.

-xXx-

Per Liara's request, Shepard ordered the Normandy to return to Illium. She spent the journey staring numbly into the galaxy map. Everything had happened so fast, she needed to process things. She was having trouble believing that Miranda, one of the most powerful and driven women she had ever met was dead, killed in an instant, a _second _of bad luck… And she realized that could have happened to any of them. It still could, at any given time.

The ship docked, and Shepard escorted Liara and Feron off. Feron wandered into the shops, while Liara paused on the trade floor, to look out at the beautiful amethyst skyscrapers, amidst the orange-gold sunset. Liara had never really liked Miranda, but she had no wish to see the woman dead; she always had so much potential, even when tethered to Cerberus.

Liara spoke first, placing a gloved hand on Shepard's shoulder.

"Shepard, I'm sorry for what happened to Miranda. I don't want you to blame yourself; _I _asked you to go on this mission-"

"You couldn't have seen any of that coming, and anyway, she was under my command. I asked her specifically to go with us. And I won't let her die in vain. I'll stop the Collectors, and I'll live through it to stop the Reapers. But before I do any of that, I need to know about _you._"

"Well, I will join your crew eventually, but for now, Feron and I should work on trying to save some of the Broker's assets, before they're thrown into disarray. He _knew_ something about the Collectors; I think I could help you more if I try to gather information on them. At least for the moment."

"That's not quite what I meant." Shepard turned to take her hands. "I realize that I could die again at any moment, I do. But what I also realize is that _you_ could too. I don't want to lose you, but I might, so I want to spend every possible second with you while we still have the time… Because I love you, Liara. Please, say you love me too, because if you don't, then I don't think I can do this."

Liara looked into Shepard's eyes, and as she did, she felt all of the grief, anger, resentment, and heartbreak of the last two years melt away, until only one feeling remained.

"Shepard…" she whispered. "Of course I love you, and I always will."

And as Shepard leaned down to kiss her, for the first time in over two years she felt at peace.

-xXx-

Shepard contacted the Illusive Man, her expression somber. The head of Cerberus accepted the call.

"Ah, Shepard. I trust the Shadow Broker has been eliminated?"

"He has, but at great cost… Miranda… she was with us… she didn't make it."

"That's a shame. I over-estimated her capability."

Shepard couldn't see his face, but his tone didn't sound all that sympathetic. "The crew of the Normandy will remember her sacrifice."

"As will Cerberus. Was that all, Shepard?"

"Yeah, that's it." Shepard disconnected angrily.

_Gee, you'd think he'd be the slightest bit upset. What an asshole._

-xXx-

The Illusive Man disconnected with Shepard, only to receive another call.

"Is it done?"

"Affirmative. She is damaged, but alive."

"Excellent."

"And the payment?"

"It will be waiting for you at the rendezvous point."

"ETA 12 hours."

The Illusive Man disconnected, and smiling, took another sip of brandy. There was so much work to be done.

-xXx-

Miranda woke up in a bloody haze of pain. Her every molecule was in agony. She couldn't move, couldn't think, it was so intense. There were blinding white lights that tripled her suffering. She tried to scream, but her voice wouldn't respond. She could hear a gruff male voice talking. She tried to make out what it said.

"-Cerberus has other plans for you, Ms. Lawson. But all in good time, for now-"

She blacked out again before she could hear the rest.

_AN:/ So I'm thinking of doing a sequel that focuses mainly on Miranda and her situation. Bet you guys thought she was really dead! So, what'd you think?_


End file.
